I'm just a fellow out standing in his field...
The Daily Strumpet is the continuation of the Daily Strumpet newsletter which started in 1983. Anything else is just a cheap ripoff.

The Useful Duck!

Contribute to my Vacation, please...

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Mr. Richings

I was searching for the word "cynical," on google. Not sure exactly why, seemed more important than farming at the time. Anyway I came across this website. Where I found the obituary for Mr. Richings. Ted Richings, to be more informal. I guess as a 40-something I don't have to refer to him as Mr. Richings any more. Still it just doesn't sound right to me.
I have mixed feelings about the cynical blog. It is funny at times, but I'm a bit bored with the whole anti-christian humor thing. We are a bit of a silly lot I suppose and well, our foolishness is pretty funny when you are in college and you are astounded by the foolishness that surrounds you, (and you haven't figured out yet that you are a moron...) but now I kind of understand what got my parents/grand parents through life and I have a lot of respect for the old true beleivers.
I had a professor at Chemeketa Community College who I keep remembering as having life figured out. She noted that we all had a personal bias. Knowing and admitting the bias was more important than denying it. Makes sense if you think about it.
But that has nothing to do with my post today.
Mr. Richings was someone I instantly liked. He was tall and self confident and friendly. He shook my hand and talked to me like an equal. He talked to me a little about WWII and I wish I would have written it down. I can't remember if he was one of the special US soldiers trained for ski patrol in the Alps. It seems like he was. Another friend of mine's dad was in the mule skinner corps.
The story in my head is that he trained in Colorado Vail for the ski patrol, then didn't actually use the training. (I should look this up somehow) I could have my info wrong. He was an interesting fellow anyway.
Anyway his daughter was a good friend and she gave me his old ACME cowboy boots. I think he told me he found them in Death Valley while he was hitching his ride home after ending his WW II service.
More later, employee at the door-bye!
Ok, I'm back. It is evening and instead of making a new post I'll add to this one.
I don't like to get to personal about other people's lives as they might not want to be identified online.
I've been thinking about Mr. R all day while planting.
One of the members of his family was my good friend. I didn't know Mr. R all that well. Just talked to him a couple times. This whole deal got me thinking about the past and people who you remember.
C. was my friend from Community College. The place I actually learned stuff...
I remember C. as tall and beautiful and self -possessed. She was funny and sarcastic and cynical. I liked her a lot. She was way out of my league, I think. We were friends for a number of years and then kind of lost touch. I think I offended her somehow. Sad thing is I really don't have a clue.

Good friends become more important to me as I get older. It seems like I have a lot of friends but only a few that have been with me from high school or college. Those are the one that seem to stay my friends whether I talk to them or not, or if we really have anything in common or not.
Whatever...